We are pleased to announce that Ms. Rashma Agarwal, former Senior Trade Commissioner and Deputy Consul General of Canada in Los Angeles, has joined MAPLE Business Council® as a Strategic Advisor. In this part-time role, Rashma will be providing strategic counsel to the MAPLE organization on the ongoing growth of the organization as well as the development of programs and services to our members.
Rashma Agarwal served as the Senior Trade Commissioner and Deputy Consul General from June 2012 to August 2015 at the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles. In her role, she was responsible for the International Business Development and Investment program, promoting Canada as an investment destination, building S&T partnerships, and economic advocacy. From 2009-2012, she served as Consul and Trade Commissioner responsible for building technology partnerships.
Previously, Ms. Agarwal was the Deputy Director responsible for Canada's bilateral free trade agreement strategy and led on Asia initiatives, including the TPP, India FTA and Japan discussions. She also served as Deputy Chief Negotiator on the Canada-Korea FTA and the Canada-Singapore FTA. Throughout her career, Ms. Agarwal worked on a number of trade negotiations, including the WTO Doha Round, FTAA, bilateral negotiations in South America, NAFTA Working Group and Trade & Development capacity building issues.
Currently, Ms. Agarwal is the Director of Trade Connections which provides advisory and educational services in the field of international trade, including doing business in the U.S. and Canada, and global entrepreneurship. She is on the Advisory Board for UCLA Extension's Management, Trade, and Legal Programs and teaches in the International Trade Program.
Please join us in welcoming Rashma to our MAPLE community. For those interested in contacting her, she can be reached at intltradeconnections@gmail.com. We look forward to her contributions. In her first engagement, Rashma will be participating in our '48 Hours in Toronto' delegation next week.